Phil Mickelson likely to miss cut at Greenbrier Classic

By Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va.
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With the projected cut at 1 under, Phil Mickelson was 2 over Friday through two rounds of the Greenbrier Classic and headed for an early exit from the tournament for the second year in a row.

By Hunter Martin, Getty Images

Phil Mickelson, who shot a 71 Thursday, repeated that score Friday in the Greenbrier Classic.

Phil Mickelson, who shot a 71 Thursday, repeated that score Friday in the Greenbrier Classic.

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The 1-over 71 Mickelson shot Friday included a one-stroke penalty on the 11th hole for inadvertently moving his ball when he dropped his coin against it while marking it on the putting green. His score Friday matched his 71 Thursday.

"I really enjoy the golf course. I think it's just a wonderful test, and I have not played very well on it last year and this year," Mickelson said. "I don't get it. I've certainly struggled a little bit on the greens both years, but nothing that should have led to these scores."

He lost the penalty stroke on No. 11 but managed a par on the hole by making a putt of about 11 feet. It was the coin drop before that cost him a shot.

"The coin slipped out of my finger and hit the ball and moved it," Mickelson said. "They changed the rule a couple of years ago to basically say that you have to be holding onto the coin to be considered in the act of marking it … and so I was scored a one-shot penalty, unfortunately. First time that's happened to me, I think, that I can ever remember."

Mickelson came here intent on performing better than last year when he was out after two rounds at the Greenbrier after shooting 73-70 on the par-70 course. Instead, he was over par again Friday for his seventh round in a row.

Mickelson had two birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey on the par-3, 217-yard 15th. On the double, he missed the green and hit his second shot into thick rough. It took him three shots to get to the green, and he two-putted from 14 feet.

"You just can't make those mistakes," he said.

Before he arrived here, Mickelson had been over par for four rounds in the U.S. Open (76-71-71-78) and one round prior to that at the Memorial (79 before withdrawing).

"The parts don't feel that far off, but I haven't been putting them together," Mickelson said. "It doesn't feel bad off the tee. It doesn't feel bad with the irons. It doesn't feel bad chipping or putting, but I'm making a lot of loose drives here or there, loose iron shots here or there, missing some shorts putts here or there."

Mickelson played Friday morning. Tiger Woods, who also was 1 over after Thursday, teed off in the afternoon for Round 2.

Mickelson and Woods have never missed the cut in the same tournament as pros. The last time they both missed the cut in the same field was in the 1993 Byron Nelson when Woods was an amateur.

Next up for Mickelson will be the British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in England on July 19-22. He said he planned to get there next Friday to begin preparation, including work on his short game.

"And then lastly, I'll have to just get in a much better frame of mind where I'm not letting so many shots slip away throughout the round," he said.

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